Governor Janet Napolitano has announced Susan Gerard’s decision to resign from her position as Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.
"I'd like to thank Governor Napolitano for giving me the opportunity to work at my dream job for the last 3 years,” Gerard said. “It has been a privilege to work for the people of Arizona & we’ve made some wonderful progress toward improving the quality & availability of health care. But I think this is the right time for me to move on. We have an excellent staff in place & I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”
Gerard has been a leader in the health care field for more than 20 years. As a Republican member of the Arizona Legislature, she served as Chair of the House Health Committee, & later as Chair of the Senate Health Committee. She was appointed Director of DHS in 2005.
"My thanks go to Susan for her commitment to Arizona, & for sharing her expertise with DHS,” said Governor Napolitano. “She has been an outstanding public servant for more than 2 decades. Much of the progress we’ve made in health care is a direct result of legislation Susan introduced & improvements she made at DHS. She will remain a positive force for Arizona health care.”
Gerard said she believes she & her DHS team achieved several milestones:
* Led successful implementation of the Smoke Free Arizona Act in 2007, & revitalized anti-tobacco education & cessation programs.
* Oversaw expansion of Arizona's newborn screening program.
* Provided consumers with greater access to state licensing information & increased licensing enforcement to protect Arizonans.
* Secured funding for the Arizona State Hospital's forensic unit.
* Oversaw the development of the new CPR system, Cardio Cerebral Resuscitation (CCR) which in the past year has been accredited with saving several lives.
Gerard added that she has no immediate plans. “I’ve got a busy month to tie up some loose ends & prepare for a smooth transition. Then I think I’ll hit the beach,” she said.